Internships & Fellowships

Summer internship opportunities for 2017 (6 total)

1. Building Preservation/Restoration Intern

The Preservation Department of Stratford Hall is seeking a qualified summer intern to participate in its ten-week Preservation Internship program. Field School participants will assist in the day-to-day operations of the Preservation Department and will report to the Director of Preservation. Specifically, participants will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with a variety of preservation projects, centered on the execution of a Cyclical Maintenance plan. Tasks could include plaster repair, repointing, painting, and window and door repair. They will also be exposed to general building maintenance of modern construction. All questions about this particular internship can be directed to Phil Mark, Director of Preservation, at (804) 493-1975 or pmark@stratfordhall.org

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

Hands-on historical restoration/preservation training and/or experience. This training or experience would ideally include the following areas: masonry, painting, carpentry and plaster.

Knowledge of 18th-Century building materials and techniques.

Desire to work professionally in a museum setting.

Ability to work as a team or independently.

Working towards or completed a degree in the Historic Preservation Field.

2. Lee Family Digital Archive Intern

Ten-week internship supervised by the editor of the Lee Family Digital Archive; intern activities include transcribing Lee family letters from the 18th and 19th centuries, researching names, places and other aspects of the letters for annotation; uploading transcribed letters to the Lee Family Digital Archive website; and writing blogs and using other social media associated with the archive project. Basic requirements include excellent writing skills and research experience. The intern will be trained on site to use the software for uploading documents to the archive website.

3. Archives Intern

Ten-week internship supervised by the Director of Research & Library Collections: intern activities include organizing and scanning slide collections in Stratford’s archives and writing online posts associated with the project. Basic requirements include excellent organizational and computer skills, ability to use scanning equipment and software (training provided), accuracy and attention to detail, and being able to work independently.

4. Collections Management Intern

A Collections Management Intern is needed to rehouse archaeology from the “Clifts Plantation” project. The archaeology includes various material: bottles, fauna, soil samples, pipe stems, pottery and ceramic fragments, etc. Research experience may provide sufficient content for thesis, blog entries, Instagram, or Facebook posts. Intern should be knowledgeable of museum methods and willing to work in storage. Rehousing involves removing artifacts from acidic boxes and paper bags and placing them into polyethylene bags, then transferring field catalog numbers and labels. The final box location will be recorded as well.

5. Curatorial Intern

A Curatorial Intern is needed to catalog the Margaret Law collection – a significant collection of 18th and 19th-century materials (mostly silver) that has never been fully documented. Intern tasks will provide opportunity for hands-on work with historic objects and material culture research. The project will include careful examination of the objects, noting any maker’s marks or other identifiers, as well as photography, measurements, and record updating. Research projects based on this collection may include object highlight posts on Facebook or Instagram, newsletter articles, and other publications. A special exhibit (online and/or in the Visitor Center) may result depending on the interests of the intern and research findings. Some information gleaned from the cataloging may be especially useful for current and future Great House furnishing projects.

6. Landscape Research Intern

This ten-week internship involves compiling documentary, archaeological and other landscape information on the West Yard of the historic Great House to prepare for a re-interpretation of the area. The project includes working in Stratford’s archives in the on-site duPont Library as well as physically studying the yard itself. Some field trips to other historic work yards may be arranged. The Landscape Research Intern will report to Stratford Hall’s Director of Research and will have opportunity to report on the project through Stratford’s social media.

Basic Information for all internships listed above:

All internships are for ten weeks on site at Stratford Hall, 483 Great House Road, Stratford, Virginia 22558. Positions are open for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Compensation and Amenities:

A stipend of $1000 dollars for the 10 weeks will be paid. Along with the stipend, free on-site housing with kitchen and laundry facilities will be provided. The grounds of Stratford Hall and surrounding areas provide many outdoor activities that can be utilized during the internship.

About Stratford Hall:

Stratford Hall is located in Westmoreland County on the beautiful Northern Neck of Virginia. Westmoreland County is a 45 minute drive from Fredericksburg, two hours from Washington DC and 90 minutes from Richmond. The Stratford property consists of 1,900 acres with 2.5 miles of Potomac River waterfront.

Stratford Hall’s Great House, a National Historic Landmark, and related buildings were constructed circa 1738 and are among a handful of exceptionally intact survivals from colonial Virginia. In addition to the Great House, Stratford also features an operating reconstructed gristmill and extensive gardens. Stratford was the home of the Lee family, which includes two signers of the Declaration of Independence. It was also the home of Revolutionary hero “Light Horse” Harry Lee and birthplace of General Robert E. Lee.

The landscape is primarily hardwood forests and pastures, but also includes two gardens and extensive maintained grounds. Stratford also has a Dining Room which offers lunch daily, two guest houses, and over 30 rustic cabins that were built to house Stratford’s board members during the twice annual meetings. See more at Stratford Hall’s website.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should send a personal letter of no more than 500 words, stating reasons for wanting to be an intern at Stratford Hall, including their goals for the internship and dates available for work. Please list all internships for which you are applying. A resume and list of two references should also be included.

Events & Programs

Join us on Saturday, September 30, 2017, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., for an interesting look at how and why plants are communicating with each other; cost: $12 adult, $7 child, group of 3 or more $7 each; pre-registration encouraged.

Join us on Saturday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to noon, for a container garden workshop with Dee King. Bring your favorite container! Cost is $45 per person and includes all materials (except large container of your choice). Pre-register by September 29.